Peace
by seabelangermly
Summary: "It was an accident, honest! Please don't hit me again!" "Today, I'm not going to hit you." Latvia is punished in a new way, but does he consider it a punishment? :Not you-know-what. Just sounds like it in the summary.:
1. Chapter 1

Latvia hadn't slept at all. He'd been trying, but every time his eyes closed, nightmares flooded his subconscious. Now, he was so exhausted he could hardly see straight, literally. He walked into the kitchen, and hit his arm on the corner of the table. A bottle of vodka on the other end fell to the ground and shattered. Latvia stared wide-eyed and knelt down, scraping the glass into his hand. The glass cut him and the red liquid pooled with the vodka on the floor. After he scraped up the shards and wiped the vodka with a rag, he relaxed a minuscule amount. Then he heard Russia's bedroom door open and shut, and heavy footsteps down the hallway. Latvia turned his back to the doorway, because if Russia saw his face, he'd know what was wrong. The footsteps walked through the doorway, and to the table, then stopped. Latvia was sure that his thumping heartbeat would give him away. "Latvia, there was a bottle of vodka sitting here. Where is it?"

"I d-don't know." Latvia was glad his voice always shook, so it didn't stand out now.

"Are you sure?" Russia walked closer to him, but Latvia's back remained turned.

"I-I didn't see i-it sitting t-there." Latvia closed his eyes. Surely, Russia would ask the other Baltics, right? Instead, he walked to the trash can and pulled out a piece of glass.

"You didn't do this?" He asked again, leisurely stepping in front of the boy and holding the piece out.

"I-It was an accident, honest. P-Please d-don't hit me again." Latvia began to cry.

"Today, I'm not going to hit you." Russia smiled evilly, and Latvia fought the urge to run. It would be useless and he would just be punished further.

"T-Thank you." Latvia nodded slightly in respect. Then Russia's large hand grabbed his wrist and dragged him forward. "W-What…?" He started.

"You need a different form of punishment today." Russia explained calmly, still pulling him down the hallway with ease.

Latvia didn't bother trying to pull away or resist in any way. "I-I…"

"You what?" Russia asked, opening the back door and thrusting Latvia into the snow. He followed.

Latvia began to shiver violently. Russia wore a coat, scarf, and boots while he only wore his usual outfit which was unfit for such cold weather. Now he shivered not only from fear, but from being chilled to the bone. He stood up from where Russia pushed him down. The snow was almost up to his knees, and his pants had clumps of the white stuff attached now. He sneezed. "C-c-cold." He mumbled to himself.

"What did you say?" Russia asked, taking his arm and pulling him, tripping and stumbling, deeper into the snow.

"I-It's c-cold." Latvia replied, a bit louder. "You g-got my c-clothes wet when y-you p-pushed me."

"And you do not care, da?" It wasn't really a question, it sounded like a declaration.

"…J-Ja…" He mumbled, shaking harder than ever.

They came upon an old shed, and Russia opened the door. The inside was completely bare and smelled of rotting wood, which explained the dampness in the air. "Well, go on in." Russia shoved him forward, into the small place. It wasn't long enough to even lie down in. "I'll come back for you later. Then you will not break any more bottles, da?" He didn't wait for a response before slamming the door. The sound of a padlock clicking make Latvia even more afraid. Temperatures were subfreezing, and he was dressed for the warm inside he was in just minutes before. He rubbed his hands together. The shed was cold and semi-dark. There were spots in the roof with holes, but he couldn't even get close to reaching them, so the only thing they provided was light. Soon enough, Russia will need him to do something or another, right? Then he'll have to come and unlock the shed.

Latvia leaned back against the wall and sighed. Aside from the cold, it wasn't so bad. No one could hurt him here, and he was finally completely out of danger. Those optimistic thoughts were the first he'd had in a long time. He also eventually got the best rest he'd had in a long time.

**A/N: First off, I know I made some promises surrounding my letters fic, but I had this idea and I just had to write it. Also, upon re-reading this, I realized it sounds like Latvia dies. HE DOES NOT DIE! I wouldn't kill him off. Well, actually…NO! NO SPOILERS FOR MY OTHER STORY! Okay so there will probably be one or two more chapters, depending on how long it takes Latvia to escape. I've got a really bad headache right now, so I don't know when I'll put anything new up. So, yeah, that's about it. **


	2. Chapter 2

Now, he was even colder. Latvia's whole body was numb, and he shivered. After a few seconds, he remembered what had happened. Frantically, he pushed at the door with his foot, but it still didn't move. His fingertips were turning blue, and he felt stiff all over.

Then, a creaking noise made him sit straight up. He stared skyward and caught a glimpse of pure blue sky before the whole roof collapsed on him and the shed. White filled his vision, just white. White and cold. Luckily, the sun had made the depth of the snow less. He poked his head out the top, now soaked as the snow met his body heat and melted. The shed was no longer peace, but danger. He still couldn't climb out the top, and the door remained locked. He pushed on a wall and it creaked. He pushed harder and it bent. But it didn't break. Would it ever break? No, Latvia decided. He wasn't strong enough to break it alone. He'd have to wait for someone to find him. But time was the problem. His fingertips remained tinted blue, the color creeping down his small hands. Living in cold climates all his life, he knew it was bad. The last thing he needed was another reason to drop things.

In frustration, he hit a weak plank as hard as he could and part of it fell off. His hand kept its momentum and was now outside the shed, though a hole. He'd done it. Now he just had to make it bigger.

So that's what he did. Not holding back and swallowing all doubts, he pulled on the weak plank until there was a hole big enough for his small figure to fit through. He slipped out silently in the stillness outside. No one else was out. Russia had walked inside, obviously, as his footprints, large and deep, headed towards the house.

Now, he should go back to the house and change into dry clothes. Maybe if he worked harder, Russia would let him sit by the fire in the hearth for a few minutes. Maybe Russia would be happy that he was stronger. Maybe escaping was a good thing.

Or maybe Russia would be furious at him for avoiding punishment and beat him with a pipe until he fell unconscious. Latvia glanced around, having the strange feeling he was being watched, but his footprints were alone.

If he went back, Russia wouldn't be happy, but he couldn't stay outside. He would freeze.

A thought from the back of his mind presented itself. Latvia had his own place to live in his own country, one he used to live in before Russia took him. He knew the way, easily, and Russia wouldn't know he escaped for a few hours: a good head start.

That's when the idea became the decision. He wasn't going to be Russia's anymore. He was going back to his own country, no matter how long it took.


End file.
